Alan Alda shared a rare health update about his battle with Parkinson’s disease 10 years after he was first diagnosed.
In an interview with People published on Wednesday, May 21, the M*A*S*H alum, 89, said that he is “making progress” in his fight against the disease, adding with a smile, “I didn’t say in which direction.”
Alan, who publicly shared his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2018, also has prosopagnosia, which is “a condition where you struggle to recognize faces or can’t interpret facial expressions and cues,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
He said that he is constantly “finding a new way to do something” amid his health battle.
“It’s a little like a game. I’ve found whatever the little problem is, if I keep at it, I can eventually solve it, and then I feel like a million bucks,” Alan revealed in conversation with the outlet. “It’s a way to have a good time under poor circumstances.”
Alan shared that living with and managing his Parkinson’s has “gone from a part-time job to almost a full-time job keeping track of all these little solutions. But it keeps me always looking for the funny side.”
Also in the interview, the Emmy winner said he does not “have dexterity with my fingers the way I used to,” which means his wife has had to step in to help him with certain things like opening up packages.
Alan has been married to his wife, Arlene Alda, since 1957. They share three children, Eve, Elizabeth and Beatrice. The family man previously shared an update on his health in October 2022.
“I’m feeling good and charging ahead. Doing everything I can to slow the progression of Parkinson’s, which really can be slowed with work,” he told People at the time.
Alan Alda
He also shared one of the biggest hiccups he experienced since receiving his diagnosis.
“Tying shoelaces can be a challenge with stiff fingers,” Alan said. “Think of playing the violin while wearing mittens. The silver lining is that I keep getting more confident that I can always find a workaround.”
As for how living with the disease impacted his life, Alan said, “I’m more convinced than ever that life is adapting, adjusting and revising.”
Alan explained what a typical day in his life looked like at the time with Parkinson’s.
“A workout, preparing for my podcast, chasing the geese off my grass, playing chess with Arlene and bingeing on Scandinavian TV series,” he said. “Pretty much what everyone does.”
Amid his Parkinson’s battle, Alan’s friend Joy Behar previously opened up about their friendship during an April 2024 episode of The View’s “Behind the Table” podcast, revealing that they “go out to dinner all the time” with their spouses and constantly laugh together.
“First of all, I just adore Alan Alda,” Joy said. “You know he’s suffering right now with Parkinson’s disease but even with that, he’s hysterical laughing and stuff.”
“He is the best laugher and so is she,” she said about Alan and Arlene, 92. “The two of them and my husband, Steve [Janowitz], can be very funny. He gets them laughing all the time and so do I. It’s a great feeling.”
